1. Field of Invention:
This invention relates generally to perfume containers, and in particular to a container formed by a plain glass bottle encased in a low-cost ornamental fabric which transforms the appearance of the bottle and renders it highly attractive and costly looking, and in doing so, imparts greater value to the perfume contents.
2. State of Prior Art:
The burning of incense that accompanied religious rites in ancient China, Palestine and Egypt led gradually to the personal use of perfumes extracted from the essential oils of flowers and other plants. Today, most perfumes are blended of natural and synthetic scents and of fixatives which equalize vaporization of the scents and add pungency thereto.
Currently, the actual cost of producing a perfume is not high, yet the retail cost of a one-ounce bottle of perfume may run well over a hundred dollars, far beyond the production cost of its contents. There are several factors which account for this marked differential, and these will now be considered.
First, those who purchase perfume--and these purchasers are not limited to women, for men often buy perfume as gifts--assume that the more expensive the perfume, the finer its quality and the more appealing its scent. A woman charged with wearing a cheap perfume is understandably offended by this charge. To the degree she can afford to do, a woman will wear a recognizably expensive perfume, for women and many men are familiar with the scents of costly brand-name perfumes. Hence were exactly the same perfume sold in different bottles bearing different brand names, one at $10 and the other at $25, the $25 bottle is likely to enjoy greater sales.
Another reason why some perfumes are more expensive than others even though there is no substantial difference between the perfumes is that the more expensive perfume is likely to bear the name of a famous dress designer, a well known actress or other celebrated figure having high status in the world of fashion. Consumers tend to assume that a celebrity-sponsored perfume is superior to one lacking the cachet of a famous name.
Still another factor which comes into play in inducing consumers to purchase the higher priced perfume is that the manufacturer of this perfume has a greater mark up over production costs to work with than if the same perfume retailed at a lower cost. This mark up is in large part used to underwrite extensive advertising and promotion. While such promotion eats into the manufacturer's profit margin per bottle, he more than makes up for this by an increased volume of sales.
To give consumers the impression that a perfume is of the highest quality, and though expensive it should be purchased, packaging plays a vital role. Perfumes are often judged by the appearance of their bottles, which is why perfume manufacturers pay great attention to bottle design.
Here again, human psychology comes into play, for one tends in response to a plain bottle to assume that the perfume contained therein is cheap and to think more highly of perfume in a fancy bottle, depending, of course, on how fancy. If, for example, one perfume is contained in a highly attractive globular bottle of tinted glass and another in a multi-faceted bottle of crystal glass that looks like an oversized diamond, the consumer, if offered a choice and if she can afford to do so, will opt for the diamond on the assumption that the diamond is reserved for a perfume of the very finest quality.
Hence while the scent of a given perfume may be more to the personal taste of a consumer than that of another perfume, the consumer may be reluctant to purchase the perfume she really prefers because it is contained in a cheap looking bottle. The familiar maxim that a book should not be judged by its cover does not apply to perfumes, for these are often judged by their bottle.
Our purpose in this discussion is not to be critical of marketing practices in the perfume field. As one leader in this field once pointed out, we are dealing here not with reality but with illusions. It is vital, therefore, that when a woman chooses a perfume because she imagines it will enhance her allure, that this elixir not come in a plain, workaday bottle and thereby shatter this illusion.
Since the invention resides in a fabric-covered perfume bottle, it is to be noted that in the wine field some bottles are encased in monk's or other rough cloth, not to render the bottle more attractive but to protect it against breakage.